


skipping stones

by kuusouka, ZTNBooks



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, I wrote this for my English assignment lol, M/M, Prompt Fic, Soulmates, i hope y'all enjoy it tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 10:05:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16261973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuusouka/pseuds/kuusouka, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZTNBooks/pseuds/ZTNBooks
Summary: A soulmate stone: A stone connected to your soulmate, allowing you to feel their emotions through it. It glows when you meet your soulmate and can never be lost, no matter how hard you try.orSoulmate AU I wrote for English class





	skipping stones

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ZTNBooks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZTNBooks/gifts).



From the moment you were born, there was a path already awaiting you.  
From the moment you were born, there was already someone destined to be with you.  
From the moment you were born, a lone stone awaited you, forever and always bonded to you.  
From the moment you were born, you were never alone.  
...but with that being said, why did Keith feel nothing but loneliness?

While Keith stayed hidden away, filled with nothing but loneliness and sorrow, the stone he held so dear to his heart radiated nothing but the complete opposite.

It constantly emitted joy and amusement, so much so that it felt almost sinful to hold such a precious item with such dirtied hands.

But truthfully, that was all Keith had going for him. His soulmate; his other half. Someone to make him feel whole.

Keith’s soulmate was his only motivation to keep moving forward, and Keith could barely wait a second longer to finally meet them.

***

Lance felt like it was just yesterday that he’d brought his soulmate stone to a jeweller to turn into an earring.

He was 12 years old at the time, anxiously watching the whole process unfold before his very eyes.

From taking a large enough piece of his precious stone to turn into an earring to the actual construction of it, Lance was there through it all.

He remembers the warm tingle of tears beaming from his eyes the moment his earring was placed in the palm of his hands, feeling nothing but a wave of happiness and relief pass him.

He remembers the pain of piercing his earlobe and helix, and how he began to quickly regret asking for a double-piercing earring. At least he looked cool, right?

His red soulmate stone hung roughly a centimeter or two from his earlobe piercing, making it much more visible for those to see. A dark chain connected the two upper and lower piercings, adding a unique and eye-catching twist to Lance’s simplistic style.

Needless to say, Lance absolutely adored everything about it. So much so that he would go on for hours about it, like he was right now.

“Lance,” Pidge, one of Lance’s close friends, groaned in annoyance, “will you shut your mouth for one second about your stone? Sometimes I think that’s all that's inside your head…”

“You might be right, Pidge!” Hunk, another one of Lance’s close friends, chipped in, “But do us a favour and let loverboy over here have his moment, will you? He’ll settle down soon enough.”

“He’s had his moment, Hunk!” Pidge whined, throwing her head back, “Its been, what, 6 years since he got that darn thing? He still goes on about it like he just got it yesterday!”

“Maybe because it feels like I did just get it yesterday,” Lance interrupted Pidge, now pouting as he gently played with the gem hanging from his ear, “Why can’t you be kind and listen to me like Hunk does?!”

As the two bickered back and forth, all three of them failed to notice a lone figure, just a few meters away, sitting under a tree.

The courtyard, where the four were currently hanging out in, consisted of a beautiful water fountain surrounded by many trees and a large walkway that lead to the back of the school and the dorm buildings. It was definitely Lance’s go-to spot to hang out in, with friends or without.

Lance wasn't the only one who enjoyed the courtyard. Keith did as well.

Keith, the figure that sat alone under a nearby tree, was peacefully drawing wildlife until Lance scared them all away with his loud and bubbly voice.

It definitely made sketches hard to complete when his references were rudely scared away, but Keith couldn't bring himself to stay mad after he laid his eyes on the new and loud presence.

Keith found his hand moving by itself along the pages as he stared at the bickering man, now completely awestruck at how he hadn't noticed him before.

Everything about that individual fascinated Keith. From how his short, messy, chestnut brown hair bounced cutely with the slightest laugh to how Keith could see the love and fondness in his bright blue eyes towards his friends from that far away.

Something about his energy radiated off nothing but good vibes, and it felt oddly comforting and familiar to Keith.

It was something about the look in that individual's eyes that drew him in, but Keith couldn't quite put his finger on it.

By the time Keith freed himself from his daydream, he realized that he was messily scribbling the person he felt so strongly about. His feelings had spilt all over his page.

Keith was beyond embarrassed about his previous actions and the fact that he’d self-consciously doodled a stranger without their permission. Thankfully, he was revisited by the squirrels and rabbits he was sketching out previously.

“Looks like things quieted down, huh?” Keith spoke softly as he fetched out more peanuts and baby carrots for his new found company. “I suppose I should finish up our session then, shouldn't I?”

While Keith turned his complete attention towards the wildlife that surrounded him, he failed to notice the eyes that captivated him a mere 2 minutes ago now staring at him.

Lance felt a warm tingle spread throughout his chest the moment he walked past the lone figure that somehow managed to draw a large number of animals in.

It might've been because of how his somewhat long, raven hair was gently blowing in the wind. Or perhaps it was the fact that he had treats on stand-by for the animals that pulled on Lance’s heart strings.

His admiration session quickly came to an end as he and his friends began to make their way to go get brunch. But for some odd reason, he couldn't get that mullet-head out of his mind.

As the two went about their days with a change of heart, they failed to realize the faint glow from their stones.

***

Later that day, a cat with a familiar aura surrounding it approached Keith, purring gently as it weaved its way through Keith’s legs.

Keith was sitting on a bench close to his next class, reading while waiting for the time to hit half past two. He failed to notice the cat’s presence until it jumped onto his lap, practically begging for attention.

Giving into its cuteness, Keith lowered his book in favor of gently brushing the cat’s soft fur. Keith was a bit of a cat lover, so sparing some of his free time for a cat was no issue for him. If anything, he really did appreciate the company.

But the question was where this cat came from. He had never crossed paths with any cats on the campus before, so this was a first for him.

“I guess we should look for your owner soon, shouldn’t we?” Keith said softly to the relaxed cat on his lap, “But I suppose a few more minutes like this wouldn’t hurt, right?”

As Keith continued to pet the ball of fur that rested comfortably on his lap, he began to read aloud from his book, letting the cat enjoy the story along with him.

“...He bore aloft a drawn dagger, and had approached, in rapid impetuosity, to within three or four feet of the retreating figure-“

“Blue!” A loud voice interrupted Keith, making both him and the cat, who he now assumed was Blue, jump.

Keith whipped his head towards the sound of footsteps fast approaching.

“Hey! Thanks for looking after my cat!” A familiar figure called out to Keith as he inched closer, “He somehow managed to squeeze through a gap in my window when I wasn’t home, so you can just imagine how scared I felt when he wasn’t anywhere in my dorm-“

“Oh, it’s you again,” Keith blurted out, setting his book down next to him. “You're the guy who was hanging out in the courtyard earlier today, weren’t you?”

Keith watched as the brunette reach forward to grab ahold on his cat. The boy nodded in reply to Keith’s question. “Yeah, and you’re the guy who was chilling with the birds and squirrels under a tree, right?”

Keith laughed awkwardly at the other man’s comment, feeling slightly embarrassed at the fact that he wasn’t the only one staring, “Yeah, I was. I was just… drawing them. But I had to make them stay still somehow.”

“Seems like you have a way with animals though, not gonna lie.” The brunette smirked at how flustered Keith was. “It’s not like Blue here to cuddle with anyone, ya know.” 

“I just enjoy their company I guess.” Keith shrugged. “But it’s not like I go out of my way to get along with them or something… I just make them think I’m their friend so they don’t attack me.”

“Sure you do, mullet boy.” Blue’s owner winked. “As much as I’d like to stay here and chat, I gotta get going.”

As the mysterious stranger walked away with Blue curled up in his arms, Keith noticed a faint red glow radiating from the boy’s ear.

“Is that the infamous soulmate stone he’s constantly going on about?” Keith wondered to himself. “Why is it glowing now? It wasn’t glowing before-“

Keith’s attention was drawn from the other boy’s soulmate stone to his own, glowing blue beneath his shirt. He pulled the chain out from beneath the cloth, staring at it in wonder.

“Oh no…” Keith froze as his eyes darted back and forth between the glowing stone in his hand and the brunette’s distance figure. “Don’t tell me it’s him.”

***

Keith couldn’t shake the thought of the mysterious boy from his mind. He couldn’t forget about the blue glow that had consumed his stone. He couldn’t forget those eyes and that voice and-

Keith didn’t expect to see him again so soon. He’d been going out of his way to avoid the person he’d assumed to be his soulmate. Regardless of whether or not that really was his soulmate, Keith just wasn’t ready.

But as fate would have it, he found himself face to face with the blue-eyed boy as he stood in front of the water fountain. The boy was seated on the edge of the fountain, his guitar in hand.

“Hi,” Keith muttered dumbly.

The boy smiled at him, his grin igniting something in Keith that he would never admit to feeling. “Hey yourself, stranger. You here to befriend the fountain ducks?”

Keith blinked at him, his mind going blank as the only thoughts racing through his head screamed, “SOULMATE!!”

The other man seemed to sense Keith’s absent-mindedness, as he proceeded to explain his earlier jest. “You were befriending those squirrels and birds earlier, so I thought that you’d be here to make friends with the ducks that bathe in this fountain. Sorry. It was a bad joke.” He laughed tensely.

Keith shook himself out of his stupor, mentally chiding himself for thinking too far into the soulmate stone thing. “No, it was a good joke. I was just- I- I was going to ask if you’d mind me drawing a picture of you.”

That seemed to shake the other boy, his guitar slipping a bit in his grip.

“Wait, what? You want to draw me?”

Keith felt a flush rising on his cheeks, the heat of it searing on his face. “You can say ‘no’ if it’s weird…”

The boy laughed, the sound of it echoing like a thousand tiny bells. “I’m flattered, actually. I’d be honored to have you draw me!” He patted the edge of the fountain next to him. “Come sit.”

Keith made his way over the the boy, perching on the edge of the fountain and facing the other.

“I didn’t catch your name, by the way,” the boy said.

“Uh- It’s Keith.”

“Keith, huh? Well, nice to meet you, Keith. I’m Lance.” The boy- Lance- grinned again, setting Keith’s heart beating a mile a minute. “Okay. Let me just put my guitar away and I’ll pose for you to draw.”

Keith shuffled through his bag, pulling out his sketchbook and pencil. Lance shifted to put his guitar back in its case, but Keith interrupted him. “Wait! Could you keep it out? I want to draw you holding it.”

Lance raised an eyebrow at him. “You want me to just hold it while you draw me?”

Keith nodded. “Yeah, if you don’t mind.”

Lance obliged, positioning the guitar back into his grip. “Well, if I’m going to be holding it anyways, why don’t I play you a song?”

As Lance began to strum the first few chords of a song, Keith started in on his drawing. He sketched out the rough base of Lance’s form, noting the way his hand curved to hold the instrument. Lance hummed softly, his notes slowly taking the form of a melody before he began to sing.

“Do you hear me? Talking to you. Across the water, across the deep blue ocean. Under the open sky. Oh my. Baby I’m trying.”

Keith’s attention was pulled from his sketchbook, the angelic sound of Lance’s voice demanding every ounce of focus in Keith’s body.

“Boy, I hear you, in my dreams. Feel your whisper across the sea. I keep you with me, in my heart. You make it easier when life gets hard.”

Keith had heard Lance talk for hours on end. He’d accidentally eavesdropped on countless conversations. He could pick Lance’s voice out from a crowd in an instant. He knew each and every cadence of Lance’s voice, yet he was still amazed to hear him sing. It was something entirely different than his speaking voice. Keith was in awe, and he couldn’t shake the stupid, dopey smile off his face.

“Lucky I’m in love with my best friend. Lucky to have been where I have been. Lucky to be coming home again.”

Lance glanced up, his eyes locking with Keith’s. He undoubtedly saw the look on Keith’s face. He also undoubtedly saw the glowing blue stone beneath Keith’s shirt… It’s shine matched that of Lance’s earring.

The song cut off abruptly, Lance’s fingers stilling over the guitar strings. “Hold up a second. You’re my-”

“Soulmate,” Keith breathed. He brought his graphite-covered hands up to hide the blush consuming his face. He waited with bated breath for something to happen. Anything.

But the only thing that happened was the sound of Lance’s guitar case zipping up before his feet hit the ground.

Keith’s hands dropped back to his lap and he could only stare in shock at Lance’s back as the other boy ran across the courtyard. In the next instant, Keith was running after him, having shoved his sketchbook into his bag before slinging it over his shoulder.

He’d finally found his soulmate and now his soulmate was running from him.

***

The beach had always been Lance’s favorite place. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore drowned out his own thoughts. He was lucky that the beach was only a short walk from his school.

Now Lance stood at the water’s edge again, the waves lapping at his feet. He knelt, picking up a stone from beside him. He glared down at the rock, trying to channel all of his emotions into the inanimate object. He let his anger, confusion, and fear flow into the rock. Then, turning back to the water, he threw the stone as hard as he could. He envisioned his emotions sinking with the stone.

But one stone wasn’t enough to take away the hurt Lance felt. He’d known Keith for so long. Had always seen the other boy at the edge of his vision, the edge of his life. Keith had been his self-proclaimed rival. He’d always been number one in class, his grades on a whole other level. Lance had always been second to him. Always felt like he was less than him. But he’d made a point to be nice to him, because as much as Lance envied him, he knew Keith didn’t have many friends.

And now Keith was his soulmate. Lance had spent so long striving to be better than Keith. Even if he hadn’t known his name before, Lance had known of him. He’d seen him around. He’d seen teachers praising him. He’d seen Keith be everything that Lance wasn’t. And Lance had pushed Keith to the edge of his mind. He’d easily forgotten about him after he’d found the strength to love himself as he was. But now Keith was back in his life, taunting him with the fact that he was better than Lance. He would always be better. And now, as his soulmate, Lance would have a front-row seat to every success that Keith had. He would see first hand how much Keith accomplished… and he’d see first hand how much he lacked behind.

Lance reached for another stone. This time, he visualized his feelings as a ball, flowing into the stone and sticking. He pulled his arm back, throwing the stone so it could be enveloped in the waves of the ocean. 

But no amount of stone-throwing could take away the confusing mess of emotions in his chest. Lance reached up, easing his piercings from his ear. He glanced down at the glowing red stones nestled in his palm. They symbolized the person he’d spent so long watching from the corner of his eye. The symbolized everything he wasn’t. They symbolized Keith.

With a deep breath, Lance threw the earring into the sea. Yet, not a minute later, the earrings had washed back up at his feet. The red glow of them seemed to taunt him.

He bent down, snatching up the jewelry and throwing it back into the ocean. Again, the soulmate stone appeared back at his feet.

Lance wanted to scream with frustration. He grabbed the stone again, a handful of sand coming with it. He threw with all his might, but the third stone came skipping back.

Lance blinked in surprise as the soulmate stone glided back across the water towards him. Then, before he could register what was happening, it was zipping past him. He whirled around and his eyes locked with Keith’s.

Keith stood a few feet behind him, Lance’s earring in his hand. He blinked down at the piece of jewelry before holding it out to Lance.

“You… dropped this?” Keith struggled to find a proper adjective to describe the weird act of Lance’s earring suddenly becoming a boomerang and flying back to its owner.

Keith seemed out of breath, his chest heaving as he sucked in air. He must’ve run all the way from the school.

“You followed me,” Lance stated plainly. He held out his hand, accepting his earring back.

Keith smiled softly, locking his gaze with Lance’s. “I knew I’d seen those eyes somewhere. Your eyes match the color of my soulmate stone.”

As if to prove his point, Keith pulled his soulmate stone from beneath his shirt. The stone glowed blue, pulsing faintly as Lance stared at it.

Lance couldn’t help the grin that overtook his face. “I should’ve known you were my soulmate sooner. I always got moody emo vibes from my soulmate stone.”

“Moody emo- what?”

Lance shook his head, a little laugh escaping him. “I didn’t think you’d be my soulmate. I always thought of you as a rival.”

“A rival? But, we’ve hardly even talked before.”

“I know. I just- I think I built up this thing in my head because I saw you as this super smart loner guy.”

Keith laughed, his body shaking with the force of it. “You didn’t even know me but you thought of us as rivals?”

Lance smiled sheepishly. “I just like to make up stories about people I don’t know well, okay? I saw you get a lot of awards in school and you never talked to anyone as far as I saw.”

“Nobody wants to be friends with the weird orphan kid,” Keith muttered.

“I’m sorry I didn’t try to get to know you sooner.”

“Well, you can get to know me now, Soulmate.”

Lance beamed at him, squeezing the soulmate stone tighter in his hand. “I guess I can.”

He followed Keith as the other beckoned him to sit on the sandy shore. He wouldn’t try to throw out his soulmate stone ever again.

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt was from some book, but I don't know what it's called oOF-
> 
> And yes I actually did submit this for English. And if you were wondering, my teacher actually did enjoy this! Thank god-
> 
> Also, a hUGE SHOUTOUT TO MY BABY @ZTNBooks, I love her SO MUCH??? She helped me write this story and I can't thank her enough ;w; Please check her AO3 out when you have time!
> 
> Anyways, I really hope y'all enjoyed the story! Take care xoxo


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